Why did Travis Tumlinson Fake the Stone Maps as a Hoax?

[Carl995]

oh honey lets pull over, take some pictures of weavers needle from way over here, plus I've got to relieve myself. Oh look....carved maps on stones!

 

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[markmar]

Not a bad theory and perhaps some truth in it. I like this story:

"We have been at some pains recently to ascertain as much as the origin of the name as possible and in furtherance of this object we interviewed one of the old sub-chiefs of the Pimas who officiates as medicine man and carries the tradition of his tribe written upon memory tablets to be transmitted to his successors..... Montezuma was a great chief and ruler over thousands of souls, the inhabitants of very large cities and populating the extensive plains of this country. Fearing that a great calamity was about to befall him and his people, he caused them to assemble on the plains adjacent to the mountain and then with his magic wand, he caused an opening to be made in the side of the mountain, into which he and his people went. Then the stone gate was closed and to this day Montezuma and his people dwell within the center of the rugged old mountain. Some day, the tradition says, he and his people will come forth as white people, to again occupy the land, build great villages and..."

Here they are writing about Superstition Mt.
I guess one could spend a life time trying to understand the meaning of stories like this.

Hi Hal

They ( Aztecs ) just returned to their roots . They began like a mix of Toltecs and Europeans ( Hohokam ) . The circle closed when the Europeans came again after 7 centuries . Of course the last Europeans were of another nationality than the first .
Could the stone maps ( include stone crosses and Latin heart ) lead close to the Monctezuma's treasure site ? I believe yes , but this is another story .

Also , I believe the stone maps are not fake and are not a hoax . Those who say are fake , are just incapable to decipher them .

 

[Azquester]

On the Bigfoot Subject.

My own conclusions about the Bigfoot Phenomenon are that it's a classic "Portal Haunting" or Demonic Spirit of a Satanic Creature.
Witchcraft, Warlocks, dark side conjuring of forces the conjurer has no control over. If disturbed the "Demon" will come out of it's cave which just happens to be under Native American grave yards. These special locations were picked originally by the Indians and later used by Anglo's. How do I know this? I just followed the tracks and found the caves they came from. That cave is inaccessible to humans as it was covered with large amounts of Thorn bushes. The interesting part was the 12" diameter vine that went into the cave used by the Demon for ingress and egress.

Same story was told around my home town about a Demonic like creature that appeared in the 1960's centered around a grave yard which became known as "Screaming Johnnies" for the hideous nightmarish screams that came from the center of the graves on a full moon. Later it was discovered that the grave yard had been breached from underneath by a series of working lime caves an eighth of a mile away. They apparently broke through into an ancient natural cave system right under the grave yard finding some ritual artifacts of native American origins. The stench was horrible like Indian Turnips a native ritual plant mixed with feces, rotten corpses and human remains. They were exploring the cave when it became unstable so they retreated only to see the cave collapse behind them. To this day the Antioch Church & Grave Yard is called "Screaming Johnny's" for that event in time.

About Travis:

Travis did it because he was told by God they should exist?

So you think Travis thought he had a divine calling that drove him to make the Maps? When did Edgar Casey tell his story about the Lost Dutchman mine location? That could come into play here. There was a lot of Casey followers back then maybe Travis was one of them? I don't know but did Edgar ever do a reading on the Peralta Stone Maps?


Oro and Somehiker should be familiar with this you talked and in Somehikers case Moderated the subject somewhere else.

Edgar Cayce's reading:

Edgar Cayce; Gertrude Cayce, Conductor; Gladys Davis, Steno. [ 3638 ] and Harmon Bro.
Time: 4:30 to 4:45 P. M. Eastern War Time. TEXT GC: You will have before you [ 3638 ] present in this room, and his enquiring mind, together with the gold mine discovered by Pedro Peralta and later worked by Jacob Walz know as "The << Dutchman>> ," in Pinal County, in the central portion of the State of Arizona. There you will find a high peak known as "La Sombrera" or "Weavers Needle". In Needle Canyon, a canyon running north from the base of the peak, you will find a large Saquaro cactus, marked, or that has been marked by four stones stuck into the trunk. From this marker, you will tell us exactly how far and in which direction to go to find the gold mine now known as "The << Dutchman>> ," describing in detail all landmarks from this marker leading directly to the mine. You will then answer the questions, as I ask them:

EC: Yes, we have the enquiring mind, [ 3638 ], present in this room; and those conditions that exist as legends and those as realities pertaining to the << lost>> mine or << Dutchman>> Mine.
In undertaking directions for locations of this from the present conditions, many things should be taken into consideration - as to whether descriptions would apply to those periods when this was put in the way of being hidden and/or those that would apply to the present day surroundings.
For time in its essence - while it is one, in space there has been made a great variation by the activities of the elements and the characters that have been in these areas.
For these are held as sacred grounds by groups who have, from period to period, changed the very face of the earth or the surroundings, for the very purpose of being misleading to those who might attempt to discover or to desecrate (to certain groups) those lands.
As we find, if we would locate this - from the present outlook:
We would go from the cactus marked here, in Canyon, some 5, 10, 20, 30, 37 1/2 yards to the north by west - north by west - to a place where, on the side of the hills, there is a white rock - almost pure white - almost as a triangle on top.
Turn from here - for you can't get over some of the ground going directly to the east - turn almost directly to the east, and just where there is crossing of the deep gulch, we will find the entrance to the Dutch Mine. This has been covered over, though to begin at the lower portion of the gulch we would find only about six feet before we would reach pay dirt in gold.
Ready for questions.
(Q) How rich is this vein?
(A) It's rich enough to work. About, at the present rate, five to six thousand dollars a ton.
(Q) Describe the type of ore.
(A) Impregnations with loose gold.
(Q) Is it covered over? If so, by what?
(A) Rock, very much like the surrounding country.
(Q) How deep is it from the surface?
(A) If from the surface, about eight to ten feet. If you want to get to it, commence at the lower edge of the Canyon and work under it - towards the east, see?
(Q) Give instructions for placing monuments and filing claim?
(A) That must be done from the material angle. Just so there's taken in enough to include all this area for about a thousand yards each way. [See 11/29/71 Newspaper Clipping in 3638-1, Par. R7.]
(Q) Give any further information about other mines in this group which may be helpful.
(A) We would give plenty of them here - the silver mine in the << Lost>> Sheep, which is over the hill on the other side towards the border, you see, that's the most valuable mine in Arizona.
We are through for the present

Is it possible Travis was the one he was reading for not Barry Storm? He talks of the Peralta mines in his reading and many other things associated with the Stone Maps. Just a thought.

An interesting question you pose Bill. As you pointed out, we can not KNOW what motivations Travis had. I will propose one more theory.

In the early days of Christianity, there were religious true believers, who felt there were not enough books/texts in the religion. So they would write up a book expounding on the religion, and instead of signing their own name, would write the name of some famous patriarch, saint or Apostle as the author. It is pretty much a certainty that Abraham did not write the Testament of Abraham for example. The experts call this "pious fraud" because it was not done with the intent to deceive anyone or defraud them of money or property, the real authors were trying to fill a gap they thought existed, making something they felt SHOULD exist.

I propose that Travis might have been making the maps to fill that gap, not to cheat anyone or fool them for laughs, but that he felt it SHOULD exist so created them. A simile would be the guy that gets to a crossroads and the road sign is missing, so he makes one to put in its place. Not an attempt to cheat or for laughs. Just a personal THEORY.

Joe - on the Bigfoot topic, I would suggest to look into it a bit deeper. The fakes are more easily detected these days, and the best tracks (as evidence) have real dermal ridges in them, like humans have as well as the great apes, but of a pattern unlike either species. You pointed out bears walking upright, yet bear tracks walking on two feet always look pigeon-toed, with the big toes in the wrong spots, also the stride is quite short because they can not take long steps without losing their balance. For those unfamiliar with what we are talking about, Joe as an old Alaskan sourdough is well familiar with bear tracks but some people have never seen them:
Bear track
View attachment 1263481
< borrowed from this excellent site: https://www.bear.org/website/bear-pages/black-bear/black-bear-sign/51-bear-tracks-and-trails.html>

This is an example of HUMAN dermal ridges just to show what dermal ridges are for those unaware:
View attachment 1263489
Also a good photo of a track in snow on this page:
2013 November > Bigfoot Buzz > Page 2

Fingerprint examiner J.H.Chilcutt is credited with first identifying the bigfoot dermal ridge phenomenon.

As to the finding of remains, you are probably well aware of the argument about how often we find the carcass of dead bears, or a better example in dead mountain lions. Unless killed on a highway, it is very unlikely to find such a rare animal carcass. Nature itself removes the evidence. Also it is quite possible that we already have the remains, just perhaps not making the connection - the numerous "giants" skeletal remains found in burial mounds, caves etc in the US, and also the Gigantopithecus, which may have been a giant ape OR may have been a type of giant human. Humans have as many hairs as chimpanzees, it is entirely possible that another species of human may have had coarser hair, and would look just like what bigfoot are reported to look like.

It is a rather interesting topic, if you are interested I would love to discuss it with you, have a thread for that reason in another part of the forum.

Sorry for the off topic material. Please do continue;

 

[Hal Croves]

View attachment 1263743

​

1972/3, summer, on or weekly drive to the family lake house in Sussex NJ, late afternoon. From the back of our Ford station wagon, I caught glimpse of a huge brown animal walking upright, on two feet thru this swamp, (the view was partially blocked by the treeline) then again thru a second opening. Both times it was only for seconds. I was six and didn't know what to say or think so, I said nothing.

I told my mother when she put me to bed that night and asked what it could be to which she replied, "I am not sure but your brother told me the same thing earlier". I have spent years exploring that part of NJ which is covered in black bear. Even had one sleeping under the house on hot days in the summer. I have even skinned one and know what they look like. My sister has them in her back yard almost daily at times and often in her garage. I don't think that it was a black bear. I don't know what it was.

That area was much less developed in 1972 and the swamp has dried some. I think that it must be a terrible thing to see one, if that's what people are seeing.

Sorry for the sidetrack.

 

[sgtfda]

While on patrol had reports of a big bear or Bigfoot in the woods near a country road. Upon investigation I discovered it was a big homeless man in a huge woman's full length fur coat who was living in the woods.

 

[somehiker]

Native American Bigfoot Characters of Myth and Legend

 

[sdcfia]

oh honey lets pull over, take some pictures of weavers needle from way over here, plus I've got to relieve myself. Oh look....carved maps on stones!

If that obvious lie wasn't enough to raise hackles from the get-go about Tumlinson, well ... we all know PT Barnum's famous quote.

The more that is revealed about the Tumlinson family, the more suspicious the whole shebang becomes. As I've always said, Pegleg is the lynchpin, and the primary person of interest in the saga. If Pegleg, for whatever reason, disinformed his descendants about the provenance of his "treasure maps", then the family well could have been innocently duped for years into believing untrue information. Enter Travis, a person with a history of making poor anti-social choices in his life, and, the possible underlying disinformation may have gone from bad to worse. We already know that many people have spent countless hours chasing Travis's lies - or at least that is where the recent evidence strongly points. I think Ryan is doing a good job of extracting the Tumlinsons' heretofore private memoirs, but it's not clear whether any of it connects to any sort of "treasure" in the Superstitions. It's all about Pegleg, who started this whole thing.

 

[sdcfia]

Native American Bigfoot Characters of Myth and Legend

For anyone curious about this subject, I would strongly recommend two books written by David Paulides: The Hoopa Project, and Tribal Bigfoot. I happened to be in Bena, MN last summer (one of the Native towns where Paulides conducted interviews), and heard from a tribal member, "We know they're in the forest, and we know not to bother them."

 

[markmar]

You post alot of crazy stuff. I hate your google earth pics trying to decipher the stones.but then i like alot of the stuff you post about other things. I just wish ya lived up here in az because i really could walk you into the area on the top part of the stones. That is fact. I am 0 for 2 with the people i tried to take into this area. My partner quit going years ago and basically it just isnt fun going alone. Quite boring actually.if i were a character in a story, i would be the last boy that cried wolf. Sort of sad really. Travis didnt carve em and he sure as hell disnt find them. They were passed onto him.

I agree , excepting some of your words : " ... trying to decipher the stones " .

 

[Carl995]

Bill, I just realized this last night.
In all actuality the stone maps are "Magical" to say the least!

I am the product of the stone maps.....depending how you look at it?

My dad, Carrol 2nd after reading about the found maps & treasures, he left Texas straight to AZ for the treasure search in 1955.
The next 3 years in AZ he met my mom & I was born 1958, Carrol 3rd. 2=3? My son Carrol 4th= 4.

So am I a Stone Map baby? or anchor map baby?
Either way if the maps wern't made/found, I wouldn't have been born.

You can apply the maps to anywhere / anytime, if you overthink it enough, you will believe it's a match-up!
Tumlinson could have had insight into my family lifeline & put it to stone!

 

[Oroblanco]

Bill Riley wrote

About Travis:

Travis did it because he was told by God they should exist?

So you think Travis thought he had a divine calling that drove him to make the Maps? When did Edgar Casey tell his story about the Lost Dutchman mine location? That could come into play here. There was a lot of Casey followers back then maybe Travis was one of them? I don't know but did Edgar ever do a reading on the Peralta Stone Maps?


Oro and Somehiker should be familiar with this you talked and in Somehikers case Moderated the subject somewhere else.

Edgar Cayce's reading:

　
No, perhaps you misunderstand, I only mentioned that part about how the term "pious fraud" came about, as to describe when someone creates something they believe SHOULD exist but does not. More akin to the guy that makes a road sign where there is none. That is a pious fraud, for road signs belong rightfully to the county or state or fed (depending on which claims responsibility) but the road sign put up by the fellow is not intentionally done to defraud anyone. It is filling a perceived gap, he BELIEVED should exist. I think Travis was trying to fill a gap in the treasure map world, hence a "pious fraud" by definition, (in that he believed it SHOULD exist) and not some scurrilous or vicious deception on his part. No religious connection however. I do not know of another term to describe the act of someone creating something they believe should exist, which is in effect fraudulent by the strict interpretation of the word fraudulent and yet not intended to defraud or cheat anyone.

　
On the other hand if Travis were NOT a treasure hunter himself, then we could call the whole thing a fraud outright. Does it make more sense put this way? So that it is not a matter of a 'message from God' but trying to fill a gap he believed should be. Pious as in believing in treasure, and that there should be stone treasure maps to go with that treasure.

That is an interesting idea on Bigfoot being some kind of spiritual creature, have heard similar ideas along that line. Also some have proposed they may be linked somehow to UFOs. I sure don't know the answer. However I would not think a spiritual creature would have need of a nest/bed, leave crap on the ground, or eat things like fish, water plants, acorns etc. Hence I think it is a flesh and blood thing, just very secretive and not at all common anywhere.

 

[Azquester]

Oro, Travis knew what he was doing regardless of his motives. If he thought he was carrying on Peg Legs Legacy by promoting his Treasure Map through stone that really makes no sense. I think his motives were personal. I believe he did it just to see if he could pull it off and make a few friends or partners for treasure hunting. His own little personal inside joke where he became the Pied Piper of Treasure Hunting men. He also wanted to see if he could make it look old enough for fooling the experts which he did for a while.
Travis had nothing in his life but he wanted so much more. He had no direct information about the Dutchman Peralta Mine so he magically gave himself instant stature that filled the hole your describing in his life. As for the "Pious Fraud" If someone changes a road sign and directs me off a cliff or puts me in harms way by directing me out into the Superstition's where I may die it's not a simple existence of the Maps issue. It becomes a devious criminal act. How many people may have died looking for the end to the Trail Maps? I'm sure a few have out there. The story became so symbolic with the Dutchman / Peralta Legends over time the intertwining of the two became one. I guess Ryan will fill in all the gaps if his story is picked up by a producer. It seems to me the deeper you go into it the less of a real viable story it becomes. Peg Leg would be more of a story but that would be all second hand hearsay. At this point it's more about the aftermath and his family's plight in it. It makes me wonder if Travis had a generator at his campsite for using his drill in the making of the Maps. Sort of a roadside Map Peddler with great skills for carving.

Get your Travis Stone Treasure Maps right here!! Come one, come all, we have all size Treasure Maps for everyone!! We even have Horsy Maps for the little folk!! Free candy for the kids while you wait!! Have your name engraved in a Legend!! Have your address encoded for fun!! Fool History, Fool your friends, Fool everyone!! Disclaimer:

(Our Maps are only Artists renditions of fictitious objects and symbols that have real meaning and are meant for the Masses as a playtime game board. We assume no responsibility for any attempts at solving the fake Maps)


As for the evidence on Bigfoot. Not one hair sample or scat sample has proved to be anything but a known animal which brings us back into a dark Spiritual possibility. The creature I investigated did leave nests as the FBI, Local Sherriff, Project Blue Book and a few locals with some national Bigfoot hunters all witnessed while trailing the beast for weeks in the thick brush but never caught up to it.
They all came back empty handed but their clothing had to be tossed as the smell wouldn't come out even after numerous washes.
Also present at the same time were numerous sightings of UFO's with blue balls of light landing right near the creature that would make it scream and growl like nothing on this Earth!

The tracks they found were three toed bird like tracks and it had no discernible head on it's shoulders sort of like a headless humanoid with large red eyes and hair that was so matted and tangled with dried blood and feces it smelled like death warmed over.

Moral of the story: No Body, Not a viable animal. This all happened on Native American sacred burial grounds.

Bill Riley wrote


　
No, perhaps you misunderstand, I only mentioned that part about how the term "pious fraud" came about, as to describe when someone creates something they believe SHOULD exist but does not. More akin to the guy that makes a road sign where there is none. That is a pious fraud, for road signs belong rightfully to the county or state or fed (depending on which claims responsibility) but the road sign put up by the fellow is not intentionally done to defraud anyone. It is filling a perceived gap, he BELIEVED should exist. I think Travis was trying to fill a gap in the treasure map world, hence a "pious fraud" by definition, (in that he believed it SHOULD exist) and not some scurrilous or vicious deception on his part. No religious connection however. I do not know of another term to describe the act of someone creating something they believe should exist, which is in effect fraudulent by the strict interpretation of the word fraudulent and yet not intended to defraud or cheat anyone.

　
On the other hand if Travis were NOT a treasure hunter himself, then we could call the whole thing a fraud outright. Does it make more sense put this way? So that it is not a matter of a 'message from God' but trying to fill a gap he believed should be. Pious as in believing in treasure, and that there should be stone treasure maps to go with that treasure.

That is an interesting idea on Bigfoot being some kind of spiritual creature, have heard similar ideas along that line. Also some have proposed they may be linked somehow to UFOs. I sure don't know the answer. However I would not think a spiritual creature would have need of a nest/bed, leave crap on the ground, or eat things like fish, water plants, acorns etc. Hence I think it is a flesh and blood thing, just very secretive and not at all common anywhere.

 

[Old]

Bill,

Speaking to your thoughts on Travis and the maps........I could warm up to your theory IF there was any evidence Travis tried to get folks to buy into his maps and ideas. There isn't any, that didn't happen. Travis was VERY secretive. In his active days in the mountains he trusted NO ONE outside his immediate family and came to not trust some of them...ie. Robert.

When the manuscript is released you are going to find that Travis summarily dismissed "locals" Robert tried to bring into the search. It was a bone of contention between Robert and Travis. Clarence Mitchell tried to get close to Travis and failed. Mitchell came to know Travis was a loner and was not going to share any significant details of the maps or his findings with him (Mitchell). Much to Mitchell's disappointment.

Robert is a different story and does not come off very favorable (in my opinion).

You are going to find there was only one outside person Travis had any comfort level with (outside the family) and that was in the final stages of Travis life. Travis died before that plan could be put into action. With that person, it was Travis' money that was at stake and the younger person's body labor. Doesn't sound like a con artist to me. Sounds like someone who genuinely believed in what they were doing and was ready to put up the money to see it done.

Lynda

 

[starman 1]

Hello Bill,

Interesting questions.

Who is to say that Tumlinson had anything to do with the creation of the maps. The reason i say that is there is strong evidence he did not. For example in a dialogue that occurred here sometime ago both Joe and Sarge testified that Tom Kollenborn told them a different history:

Originally Posted by sgtfda
Had to go to the Apache Junction fruit market today so I decided to meet up with Tom K at the Blue Bird. By the way they have a set of the stones on display in the front window. Copies just like the museum. God everyone has them. Tom told me a acquaintance made the stones in the 30's and placed them in the FJ spot. I asked why there and he said the guy was working in the area. This person also worked as a tombstone engraver. Which explains a lot. I wanted to ask him about the Burns from Burns Ranch and the pitt mine. The stones came up after I noticed the window display. I will still keep a open mind as its fun to play with the issue.

Frank,

Tom told me this story some time ago. Not much chance he will ever divulge the name. I believe it to be true.

Take care,

Joe

So who do you believe? If the stone maps(the ones in the public view) are a modern creation i believe Sarge`s and Joe`s testimony. If Mr. Kollenborn recants his testimony, good then move on but if he does not then maybe Mr. Kollenburn will be persuaded in the interest of historical accuracy to provide more detail. I would hate to think he would allow the current situation to continue if he knew it not to be true. Or perhaps his silence is an indicator the folks in Texas are going down the right trail.

It seems to me that one of the first things those folks would do is look into Mr. Kollenborn`s position. If that position is that the maps were created by someone he knew then that puts most of their work into the realm of historical fantasy.

And really historical fantasy is ok. A story involving folks and their efforts to send Travis to the other side make for good drama. I would probably buy the book and watch the movie, tv program whatever. It is important though to know what one is getting into.

it very well maybe though if one is interested in the truth your time would be better spent going down a different trail. Let us assume for the moment the tombstone engraver is the correct clue to pursue. How then does all of this fit into the story.

Maybe our tombstone engraver had a relationship with Travis or someone in the family that no one knew about. We are told that Travis was secretive and who knows?

I would also keep one thing in mind. Travis said he found the Stone Maps. He never indicated anywhere he created them. Perhaps this is because our tombstone engraver did, so Travis was telling the truth.

For me this subject, should be approached with great care and focus. Travis it seems was an interesting fellow I suspect the tombstone engraver is far more interesting. The trail maps are beautiful and speak to ancient, ancient things. Maps a tombstone engraver may have created not Travis. Think of the inserts. Do you see any evidence Travis had the skill set to do that? I really do not. It is one thing to carve graffiti on a chimney it is another thing to create a work of art. Also ask the question why would Travis even think to create an insert?

Let`s look into one more piece of evidence that is summarily discarded by our friends in Texas as being a fraud. That is the Latin Heart. The Latin Heart it is argued is simply the creation of someone trying to piggyback the legend with another piece of imagination and has no validity. Obviously it has no validity in the new reality but if it is real then those folks have more problems. First the Latin heart was created to fit into the trail maps, and second the Latin heart is as Jim Hyatt has pointed out uses ancient Latin. A form of Latin that one would expect to see let us say around 900A.D. Actually a lot older. Why would someone use ancient Latin? Perhaps because ancient Latin opens a gate to who created the Latin Heart. It is the language he/she used in everyday life.

Perhaps our friends in Texas should recognize there is much to learn and only a small piece of it has anything to do with the Tumlinsons. Only then can an authentic history of the essence of the maps be understood. And actually it makes far better reading. A good starting point for them would be a discovery made by Mr. George Boundey in 1926 near Casa Grande National Monument. It speaks to a certain symbol they have encountered.


Starman

 

[Old]

Hey Starman,

Have said from the beginning......there is far more to this story than has been told. Would take a documentary of 18 months of one hour segments to fully BEGIN to tell it. There is so much to explore its hard to stay focused on the minute details. But; they are important.

That's why I get ruffled (and ornery) when we get bogged down in how many angels can dance on the head of a pin discussions. Its a flaw in my character <g>. My apologies to those who genuinely are offering help and advice. It is welcomed and appreciated. Its a huge story, with many facets. The "Texas folk" are doing the best we can with limited time and resources. Mission creep is a very real dilemma.

Lynda

 

[adtofca]

whoa boy I thought the maps were real and that jacob waltz really found treasure but he only was seen with quartz ore with gold in it
and then i heard he was stealing that from a mine he was emplyee and then there are the 100s of people who looked and never found even a
bobby pin out there and that is over 100 years of looking so i think it is all a fake to tell the truth . my mom said when i was little after
we watched a movie about it i think call the lust for gold and i wanted to go find it she said it was crazy and no treasure is there to find .

 

[captain1965]

If Travis carved larger replicas then the Latin heart would be a hoax. I don't believe that the Latin heart is a hoax there for I don't believe the stone maps were carved by Travis. IMHO

 

[adtofca]

the stone carving looks like a looney tunes cartoon . not even good enough for disney cartoons .

 

[Hal Croves]

Bill,

Will you name for me any people Travis directly deceived? This is a trick question of sorts.

I don't know of anyone Travis hoaxed, conned, extorted money from, lead astray. Or any such thing. Robert? Maybe. Robert's story is different from Travis'.

I really don't want to get into another who shot John over anything that may be going on currently. I'm just voicing my view point that Travis didn't do half of what many blame him for.

Did folks fall all over themselves to possess the stones that he guarded to the day he died? Yes, they did. Did they know what to do with them once they saw them? Apparently not. Is that Travis' fault? I don't think so.

This is a difficult question to respond to because it has been asked that information on the other site not be shared elsewhere, and in fairness, because of the TNet rules. The situation creates somewhat of a challenge but the answers to your question(s) seems to be found in the paragraph below the "Bumper Photo".

If this is accurate, Travis used the museum stones (apparently his fakes) along with other stones from the CRG, to fund his "adventures into the Superstitions...". He did this by displaying them at the Gulf station and apparently charging admission to view the collection. So, while I can not offer names of those who paid to see the stones, my answer, even thou this is addressed to Bill, would be, the townsfolk of Stockdale TX.

Personally, having seen the collection from the CRG, any money paid was well worth it. Where things go astray is the inclusion of the stone tablets.
But, it could be argued that the deception was Phil's for allowing it to happen.

 

[captain1965]

Looking for project money doesn't mean Tumlinson was insincere. Even if evidence modern machinery was used on the stones doesn't mean he was insincere in that he or those who owned them after may have done some restoration.